Kea Conservation Trust Explained

The Kea Conservation Trust is a New Zealand conservation non-governmental organization working to protect kea, a large alpine parrot found only in the South Island of New Zealand.^[1]

History

The Kea Conservation Trust was incorporated in 2006 as a charitable trust, then later registered as a charity in 2008.^[2] It was founded by current chairperson Tamsin Orr-Walker and three other trustees to raise money for research and to work with other community conservation groups, such as the Fiordland Wapiti Foundation.^[3]

Since 2017 Peter Hillary, son of mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary, has been the patron of the Trust.^[4] In 2019, Orr-Walker was appointed as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to kea conservation.^[5]

Activities

The Trust's activities are diverse and include:^{[6] [7] [8] [9] [10]}

• Providing educational material.
• Working with community partners including the Fiordland Wapiti Foundation to conduct kea research.
• Monitoring threats to kea in areas such as the Matukituki River valley, and in Fiordland.
• Since 2017, held biennial 'Kea Summits' to provide a forum in which people can network and share knowledge on kea status, threats and conservation, as well as come up with conservation strategies.
• Working with commercial partners such as forestry companies and ski field operators to understand more about populations of kea in the vicinity of these sites.
• Running the Kea Database, citizen science platform where members of the public can report sightings of individual kea and look up birds based on bands on their legs.

Trustees and office holders

As of 2020 the Trust has six trustees, three appointed office-holders, a scientific advisor, two field personnel and a "kea dog" named Ajax, who was the subject of a book and short documentary film.^{[11] [12] [13]}

External links

• Official website

Notes and References

1. Web site: KeaNestor NotabilisKea Conservation Trust NZ. 2020-09-03. Kea Conservation Trust. en-US.
2. Web site: Charities Services Charity Summary. 2020-09-03. www.register.charities.govt.nz.
3. Web site: Waterworth. Kerrie. 2019-11-23. Flocking together to protect parrot. 2020-09-03. Otago Daily Times Online News. en.
4. Web site: 2019-02-19. Kea trust has Hillary as patron. 2020-09-03. Otago Daily Times Online News. en.
5. Web site: December 31, 2019. Service to birds and bush recognised in New Year Honours . 2020-09-03. www.scoop.co.nz.
6. Web site: Projects. 2020-09-03. Kea Conservation Trust. en-US.
7. Book: Fiordland Wapiti Foundation Annual Report 2017/18. Fiordland Wapiti Foundation. 2018. 16–18.
8. Web site: Kea Database. 2020-09-03. keadatabase.nz.
9. Web site: Kea Database. 2020-09-03. Science Learning Hub. en.
10. Web site: 2019-05-07. Kea get a helping hand. 2020-09-03. RNZ. en-nz.
11. Web site: Our Team. 2020-09-03. Kea Conservation Trust. en-US.
12. Book: Mosen, Corey. Ajax the kea dog : a working dog's life in the high country. McCloy, Nicola, 1971-. 1-76063-361-5. Auckland, New Zealand. 1052873193.
13. Web site: Ajax the Kea Conservation Dog. 9 August 2017. 3 September 2020.